Keegan Bradley's Ryder Cup conundrum: Can he captain Team USA AND feature as a player at Bethpage Black?

Keegan Bradley looks to lead Team USA to Ryder Cup glory this September, but could his role grow from captaincy to also featuring as a player after his latest PGA Tour success?

Bradley was announced last summer as the next Team USA captain, following Tiger Woods turning down the role, with the former PGA Championship champion succeeding Zach Johnson and tasked with regaining the trophy at Bethpage Black.

The 39-year-old will become the youngest American Ryder Cup captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963, while there remains the possibility that Bradley could replicate what Palmer did in that year's contest and serve as a playing-captain for Team USA.

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What has led to Bradley moving closer to a dual Ryder Cup role? Will Bradley qualify automatically, or could he potentially name himself as a captain's pick? We take a closer look at what it could mean for the United States' Ryder Cup plans…

How does Ryder Cup qualification work?

Qualification for Team USA's Ryder Cup side began at the start of 2024, with one point per $1,000 earned for all those making the cut at The Players and each of the four majors that season.

The same number of points are on offer for each regular PGA Tour event during 2025, starting at The Sentry in January and the qualification campaign running through until the BMW Championship in August.

There is extra weighting given for this year's majors, with 1.5 points per $1,000 earned for all players making the cut at The Masters, the PGA Championship, US Open and The Open.

The top six players in the Ryder Cup points list at the end of the qualification campaign in mid-August will make the team, with six captain's picks then announced after the Tour Championship the following week.

How did Bradley become a Ryder Cup contender?

Bradley impressed last season, claiming runner-up finishes at the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Charles Schwab Challenge before winning the BMW Championship - the second of the FedExCup Playoffs.

He featured for Team USA in the Presidents Cup after the conclusion of the season, helping them to victory over the International Team, then made a strong start to 2025 with five top-20 finishes in his first seven starts.

Bradley followed a tied-eighth finish at the PGA Championship with another strong showing at the Memorial Tournament, before a dramatic finish to the Travelers Championship saw him come back from three behind with four holes to play to snatch a one-shot victory.

What has Bradley previously said about playing?

Bradley was inside the world's top 20 when he was appointed, making him securing a Ryder Cup place as a player always a possibility, although he previously insisted it would only be a consideration should he qualify automatically.

"It's going to be really hard for me to make that team, but if I make the team, I'll play," he said after last summer's BMW Championship win. "I don't see myself being a captain's pick. But I'll be proud to just be the captain."

He reiterated his stance ahead of the PGA Championship, despite a strong start to the year, where he added: "I don't even think about me as a player at this point. If I get to the end of the year and I'm in that conversation, I'll change that. I'm not thinking of myself as a player on the team at the moment."

How did his Travelers Championship win change things?

Bradley overturned a three-shot deficit in a remarkable final round at the Travelers Championship, where a final-hole birdie - combined with a closing bogey from Tommy Fleetwood - saw him snatch a one-shot victory.

The win at the PGA Tour Signature Event earned Bradley 3,600 Ryder Cup team points and moved him up eight places to ninth in the rankings, leaving him just over 2,150 points behind Justin Thomas in the sixth automatic qualification spot.

Bradley's success also lifted him to world No 7 - the highest world ranking of his career - and inside the top 10 of the FedExCup standings heading into the final two months of the PGA Tour season.

What has Bradley said since?

Bradley reflected on the possibility of being a playing captain with the media following his win, admitting that his eighth PGA Tour victory - and fourth in as many years - "opens the door to play" and make a third Ryder Cup appearance.

"My whole life every year I was out here I wanted to play on the Ryder Cup team, and then this would be the first year where maybe I didn't want to," he said.

"I just wanted to be the captain and, of course, you know, this is what happens. But we'll see. I'm going to do whatever I think is best for the team."

Can he still qualify automatically?

Bradley features at the Rocket Classic and will have opportunities to earn further points at The Open and in the FedExCup Playoffs, along with any other PGA Tour events he chooses to tee it up in before the end of the qualification period.

Even if Bradley fails to break into the top six in the Ryder Cup rankings to qualify automatically, he is almost certain to remain as one of the 12 highest-ranked American players in the world rankings before he announces his captain's picks after the Tour Championship.

How common is it for a captain to play in the Ryder Cup?

If Bradley qualified to feature in the Ryder Cup as a player, or selected himself as a captain's pick, he would be the first to hold the player-captain role since Palmer did both for Team USA's 23-9 win over Great Britain and Ireland in 1963.

Wales' Dai Rees was a player-captain for Great Britain and Ireland on multiple occasions, most recently in 1961, while Walter Hagen held both roles for the United States during five of the first six editions of the biennial contest.

There has not been a playing-captain in the Ryder Cup since, although Tiger Woods held a dual role for Team USA during their 2019 Presidents Cup victory over the International Team in Melbourne.

Can he juggle playing and captaincy?

Bradley revealed the possibility of being a playing captain was first discussed when the PGA of America called him last June to offer the 2025 Ryder Cup role, with the dual role being discussed in the background throughout the build-up to this year's event.

"They [PGA of America] knew that that was a possibility and that we would have things in place for that [playing captain]," Bradley admitted on Sunday. "If Tiger [Woods] or Phil [Mickelson] or these guys got a captaincy at my age, they would have done it the same way."

Former PGA Tour caddie John Wood was named team manager for Team USA before the captaincy was named, a role designed to take on some of the administrative responsibilities, while Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Kisner and Jim Furyk have been named as vice-captains.

"Every vice-captain that I am choosing will know that this [extra roles] is a possibility," Bradley said in the 'Year to Go celebration' last October. "They will know what's going on in that way. I think my vice-captains are all going to be more than capable of doing this."

Bradley's Ryder Cup role is yet to be officially finalised, although taking on both playing and captaincy looks increasingly likely. Either outcome will split opinion and put more pressure on him - from a boisterous New York crowd - to deliver a home victory.

When is the Ryder Cup live on Sky Sports?

Sky Sports will continue to be the home of the Ryder Cup, with all three days of the 2025 edition exclusively live from September 26-28. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and more with no contract.

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